Knights fall to Tribunes of Monroe CC

09.21.13

Freddie Korsah

The CCRI Knights’ men’s soccer team traveled to Rochester, NY to play the Tribunes
of Monroe Community College. The Knights lost to the Tribunes 5-1. With the loss the
Knights’ record is now 0-5 on the season.

The Knights suited up for a rainy, dark day on the turf in Rochester. Head Coach Gabe
Toro came out with a new formation to play to the strengths of the team which has
been several players injured early in the season. He stated that “I have never in
my coaching or playing career seen so many injuries early in the season.” Toro added
“I am more frustrated because the injuries have come from ugly out of control tackles
by opponents, and it is hard to recover quickly from these types of injuries. The
players’ fitness has not been related to the injuries, so when you see a fit player
go down after a bad tackle, it can be extremely frustrating.” Due to the injuries
the coaching staff has been trying to put together a new with the remaining healthy
players. The Knights came out sticking to the game plan and played a smart tactical
game in the first 20 minutes of the game. They were getting use to the new system
and the overall team shape looked really good. Monroe had a set piece outside the
box and it resulted in a goal for them making the score 1-0. The Knights were able
to hold them back during the regular flow of the game, but whenever the Tribunes had
a set piece, they were able to capitalize with their size and strength. The Knights
also were not able to get up and contest these incoming crosses.

Adam Corey (North Kingstown, RI), Luis Navas (Pawtucket, RI) and Justin Kue (West
Warwick, RI) did well in the midfield. While the Knights had some scoring opportunities
utilizing Luis Duarte (Pawtucket, RI) and Freddie Korsah (Accra, Ghana) up top. Not
far from the end of the first half, another unnecessary tackle injured the CCRI goalkeeper
Rob Gallucci (Coventry, RI). The Tribune player slid into a ball that had been covered
by Gallucci, the player, did however receive a yellow card for his brutal tackle.
Making matters worse the Knights’ back-up keeper is also out injured, so Coach Toro
had to look for a replacement after Rob had to exit the game. The call was answered
by defender Clarence Early (Cranston, RI). At the half the score was 5-0.

In the second half, Clarence Early made some amazing saves as he was thrown into a
position that he had not played in a long time. Adam Corey also moved to the back
line and together with Andrew Grenier (Greenville, RI) the defense made the necessary
adjustments to stop the scoring completely in the second half. The coaching staff
and players were extremely impressed with Early’s ability and the energy he brought
to the team. In addition, Freddie Korsah was able to score a goal late in the game,
utilizing this positive energy created by Early’s performance in the net. The final
score of the game was 5-1 Monroe CC. After the game Tri-Captain keeper Rob Gallucci
gave Clarence Early an embrace, as a sign of respect for his performance in a very
tough position.

The Knights’ next game will be Tuesday September 24th at 3:30pm in Lincoln when they
will host the Cougars of Holyoke Community College for a Region XXI non-league game.

The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community
college, enrolls nearly 18,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit
and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic
support program for all student-athletes.